Riccitiello: "I personally don't like DRM"

EA boss John Riccitiello doesn't like PC DRM, but reckons 99.8 per cent of people don't even notice it.

"We're still working out the kinks," he said at a conference watched by Yahoo.

"We implemented a form of DRM and it's something that 99.8 per cent of users wouldn't notice. But for the other 0.2 per cent it became an issue, and a number of them launched a cabal online to protest against it.

"I personally don't like DRM. It interrupts the user experience. We would like to get around that, but there is this problem called piracy out there," he added.

This "cabal" specifically targeted DRM software SecuROM, which infamously limits Spore users to just three installations of the game.

However, compromises are being made; BioWare rethought SecuROM features in Mass Effect PC, and Red Alert 3 on PC will adopt "more lenient" DRM measures.

But fan feedback has been so vehement that EA faces a lawsuit for not properly educating shoppers about the inclusion of the third-party SecuROM software that apparently "secretly" installs itself on their computers and cannot be removed.

The community has also pointed out that SecuROM does nothing to stop piracy, as Spore was cracked before public release. Instead, they argue, the real target is the pre-owned, trade-in market.